


Pellan Salache

by sky_fires



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Angst, F/M, Future Character Death, Mild Language, Racial Tension (Mer vs Man), Skyrim Main Quest, Slow Build, Slow Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-21
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-04-27 10:50:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5045482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sky_fires/pseuds/sky_fires
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Altmer on the run gets caught up in the legend of the Dragonborn while trying to escape Skyrim. Unwillingly thrust into the position of being the land's hero against the dragon onslaught she tries to survive and make do with what she can. Helping/getting dragged into the major factions battles along along the way. </p><p>Follows along the Companions and Main Questlines. Other questlines will follow later</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1: Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this fanfic has been lingering around in my head for a while since playing through Skyrim. I wanted to delve deeper into the characters personality more than what the game did and this popped out. Work in Progress, tags may be changed and updated as the story goes along.
> 
> I do not claim ownership of the characters nor the universe in which this story takes place in. That ownership belongs solely to Bethesda

She never meant for this to happen. Any of it. But here she was sprinting full pelt to the town gates of Helgen like the hounds of death were snapping at her heels.

The midday sun was blinding as she reached the tall wooden gates, but it was only then that she noticed the trails of smoke rising from behind the walls of the town. A roar sounded from behind the closed gate, followed by the rushing of air as a large scaled body lifted itself into the sky.

Wind from the creature buffeted the figure below as it flew north and the roaring sound it made echoed through the mountains. She turned and looked for it but could only catch sight of a long tail and wide wings as it flew across the landscape.

Looking back at the gates, she pulled them open with a loud cry "no! NO!". The sight that greeted her was one of complete and utter devastation. The towers were barely still standing while the buildings and homes were completely gutter, filled by either debris or flame. Here and there about the place were corpses, burned beyond any recognition. The sheer smell made the bile rise in her throat and she held the sleeve of her clothing over her mouth and nose. Trying to block it out as much as possible while she darted around the place.

Finally she stood in front of the remains of the building she was seeking and carefully picked her way across the wreckage, seeking the hearth. She looked around and pulled out a particular cracked hearthstone, buried underneath she found a large pack along with a letter and pulled them both out. Shrugging the pack onto her back she then carefully broke the wax seal on the letter and began to read:

" The agreed upon gold has been received safely. Your new identity documents are in the pack along with the weapons and armor you requested. Your name is now Ashlyn Lorenus, bear the name well.  

Be wary, the Empire is being more watchful of the roads for the Stormcloak rebels. They caught their leader, Ulfric Stormcloak in a ambush the previous night along with several others. A man who was also caught claimed to be searching for dragon legends. He also claimed that he saw a dragon in the area near here.

Regardless, my Phynaster be with you."

She climbed out while shoving the letter in the pocket of her trousers. Quietly she muttered to herself in irritation "if that was a dragon then it's not my problem, it's  _theirs-_ ".She stopped suddenly when she heard the creaking noise that heralded the western gate of Helgen opening.

Peaking around the edge of the remains of a wall she caught sight of a single figure in Imperial Legion armor slowly riding a horse into the ruins of the town. She watched as he pulled the reins to bring the horse to a stop and then dismounted. He looked around the place, surveying the damage with his back turned to her. Seeing her advantage she snuck out, trying to make her way to the southern gate without being seen. The partial wall of a nearby house picked that appropriate moment to collapse and it drew the man's attention. "HEY!" he yelled and sprinted in her direction.

Ashlyn panicked and tripped over a pile of wood. She could hear the heavy pounding of armored feet behind her and scrambled to stand. Dodging and weaving through the wreckage she tried to lose her pursuer, finally managing to squeeze through a gap small enough for her and forcing him to stop. She heard a loud curse behind her but kept running out the nearest gate.

The man sighed angrily and watched as the woman escaped. When he made his way back to his horse the remainder of his patrol came riding in from the gate he entered. They dismounted and saluted him immediately on stopping. "Hadvar, Sir!"

He shook his head "we go out once to take care of bandits and this happens. Damn it!" he clenched his fist to restrain his temper before pointing to two of his patrol "you two, take the northern gate. I chased a Altmer woman and she escaped through it. She is to be brought back alive and unharmed for questioning. Is that understood?". When the two men nodded he continued "be back before sunset whether you have her or no" he ordered. "Yes sir!" they responded, mounting their horses once more they set out at a gallop for the northern gate. The horses jumping over the wreckage with some difficulty but managing it.

Hadvar watched them go before ordering the remaining men to count and bury the corpses. He couldn't tell if Ulfric or General Tullius had managed to survive the attack but he intended to regroup with the main army in Solitude regardless. For now he'd wait and see if his men caught the suspect or not.


	2. Decision

Ashlyn ran as fast as she could from Helgen, her sides and legs aching from the exertion. Her ears caught the sound of hoofbeats swiftly approaching from behind her and she leapt off the road into a nearby bush. The rough landing and sharp edges from the branches opened up a still healing scar on her cheek, making her wince in pain but she held still and waited on the riders to pass. It didn't take long for them catch up to her and she saw two Imperial Legion soldiers through her cover. She watched as one of them pulled the reins on his horse, bringing it to a slow walk. The other rider did the same once he noticed his companion wasn't with him "see something did you?"

"I thought I did a moment ago but it disappeared..." the first rider responded "looked like a Altmer but I can't be sure."

The second rider looked toward the sun "You want to search the area? The sun's not far off from setting and I'd rather be back at least somewhere relatively safe in case that thing comes back"

He got a glare from the first rider "and what if that Altmer woman controlled it? What if the Thalmor controlled it?! They wouldn't need the treaty then and we'd be right back where we started again!"

"......you have a point" the other man said quietly

"Good. You keep going down the hill to Riverwood, see if she got that far. I'll head back up the hill to where I saw whatever it was and we go from there."

The other rider nodded and more quieter hoofbeats followed as they split up. Meanwhile the elf was holding her breath as the first rider had gotten far too close to where she was hiding. When she heard him move away far enough she then extracted herself from the bush and lay flat on her stomach. Crawling from cover to the next patch of cover until she was safely away from the road and the pursuers. Forever silently grateful that the soldiers weren't skilled trackers or this venture would have been over quickly.

Once far enough away she stopped to rest against a rock, night was quickly falling and the moons were rising. She felt overheated from all the exertion and sweat had made her hair stick to her face and neck in dark gold clumps. Pushing it out of her way in irritation, she sighed and waited just a little longer before continuing down the hill, eventually finding a concealed camp just past the Guardian Stones and made a beeline for it. 

Creeping close to the cold campfire, she looked around and listened for any signs of life but could only hear insects and the river. She filled the campfire with fresh wood from a pile nearby and snapped her fingers to summon her flame magic to light it. Once done she cleaned her face and hands in the river, flinching when the cut on her cheek from earlier began stinging once more. "Shit....nice going me" she grumbled and reached for the pack, trying to see if her contact had left any supplies or healing potions. Grimly she pulled out the hide armor and leather hood from the bottom of the pack and found a tiny potion bottle in the bottom along with a dagger.

Scratching her head she sighed in annoyance. The Thieves Guild member 'assured' she'd be fully supplied for the journey but somehow wasn't surprised that they'd run off with the gold instead of giving her everything she'd asked for and that gold was hard to come by as well. She put the potion bottle back in the pack carefully and sat close to the fire to debate her options.

She remembered that Riverwood was a short distance away having been nearby the area a few times on her business travels. She knew that the road it was on curved around the Throat of the World mountain and into Rift Hold territory but it was a long route to take. Even longer considering that it was beginning to move to the autumn months and the mountain paths south into Cyrodiil would be completely impassable come winter. But the route was safer than risking capture by either the Imperials or the Stormcloak rebels.

Borrowing one of the tents she managed to snatch a few hours of sleep before waking before sunrise and dressing in the supplied armor. She tucked her hair in behind the hood and continued on the road to Riverwood.

* * *

 "Ain't every day we get visitors to Riverwood" came a voice from her left, making her jump slightly in fright. Upon looking up she found the local blacksmith staring at her with mild curiosity.

"huh? what?"

"The town's usually very quiet, very few visitors outside of the usual trade caravans. Did have a Imperial Legion soldier yesterday, borrowed one of our couriers, and now you appear" the smith rubbed his beard as he continued "the soldier claimed a dragon had been spotted yesterday. A dragon! Can you believe it?"

Ashlyn blinked and then remembered the creature from yesterday "Is that what it was? I just saw wings and a tail when it flew over the walls of Helgen. The town's completely destroyed though"

The smith's eyes widened "What?! You saw it? A dragon...in Helgen... I saw it as well...flying in from the south but I was hoping I was wrong about what I thought it was.." He waved for her to come up into his workspace as he began pacing. "First the war...now dragons...trouble loves company or so they say.". He looked up after she'd climbed the steps and approached her. "We need to get word to Jarl Balgruuf in Whiterun to send whatever soldiers he can. Riverwood is defenseless!". Stopping suddenly as he came to a realization "you."

".....me?"

"You could take word to the Jarl. Tell them Alvor sent you"

"Wait! What?! N-No! I was just passing through in the hopes of maybe getting supplies!" She raised her hands while shaking her head frantically

"Please. I'll be in your debt. Or how about this, I get you your supplies in exchange for you taking word to the Jarl"

He watched as she shuffled slightly, considering his offer. Ashlyn didn't exactly have pockets lined with gold thanks to a run in with bandits prior to reaching Helgen. The arrangement would make things significantly easier for her crossing but she'd need to look into getting coin as well. "Half now and the second half on my return then" reluctance coloured her tone as she mentally cursed her luck but she watched Alvor's eyes brighten as he nodded. "It's a deal then, what supplies did you need?"

She stared at the ceiling for a moment as she thought about what she would need and began ticking off on her fingers each item as she spoke "a bow, a quiver of arrows, a sword...uh... food and water, health and magicka potions. Oh cure disease and cure poison potions as well..."

Alvor frowned slightly "that's a pretty long list. The weapons I can fill now and I'll fetch some leftover food and also some water bottles. As for the potions I'd have to ask Lucan Valarius about those as he's the only one who stocks them....If that's acceptable of course?" He shifted around, hunting through his older stock while she waited.

"Its acceptable" she replied.

He passed her a hunting bow, a quiver of iron arrows and a iron sword before leaving her for a moment to grab a small sack of food and water for her travels. When he reappeared he handed the sack to her and she placed it in her pack. "Should keep you going for a while at least until you reach Whiterun. Be careful of wolves and bears, they've been more active lately near the roads."

"Thank you, Alvor. I'll be back in a few days with the guards". Ashlyn climbed down the steps once more and followed the road north while Alvor made a small prayer to Talos for her safety.

 

 


	3. First Impressions

After Ashlyn had left Riverwood she immediately sat down on a tree stump to rest, well out of sight of anyone from the town. She only just remembered that she forgot to ask for some furs or even a large piece of leather to use as a impromptu bedroll for the nights she had to spend outside and smacked her palm against her forehead. Still...the circumstances did bring back some memories....

It took until sunset once more for the city of Whiterun to come into view and she felt gladdened by the sight of the distant flickering lights in the distance. She followed the road until she reached just the Whiterun Stables but stopped when she felt the earth shake under her feet slightly. Hearing a roaring sound, she turned and found a group of three people fighting to take down what appeared to be a giant. Though it was hard to tell with the wobbly shadow flailing around everywhere until one of the group pulled out a torch and lit it.

For some odd reason instead of running, she pulled the bow from her back and notched a arrow while aiming for a spot on the giant's body away from where the other three were landing their own blows. She pulled back the string and let the arrow fly, a loud grunt coming from the giant signifying that her arrow hit true.

The giant twisted in her direction and started moving toward her, swinging it's club wildly. Ashlyn kept firing arrows while backing away as quickly as possible, during this one of the group took advantage of the giant's distraction and slashed deeply into the back of it's legs with a greatsword. Another grabbed a dagger and stabs the giant's jugular after it drops to it's knees. She watched as the giant fell forward dead while the remained of it's lifeblood drains into the dirt.

She returned the bow to it's place on her back while the group approached her. "You handle yourself well, you could make for a decent Shield-Sister" a deep female voice mused

"what?" Ashlyn felt confused for a moment before it clicked as to where she'd heard the term before "Ohhhh Jorrvaskr, mead hall of The Companions. I forgot"

The woman who spoke came under the torchlight and raised a eyebrow "Heard of us have you?"

Ashlyn faintly chuckled "it's a little hard not to unless you've only just arrived in Skyrim. Tales of your exploits fill the taverns across the land and it's also well known that while you're like the Fighter's Guild of Cyrodiil, you also have a very strict sense of honor"

There was a silence for a while before the huntress quietly laughed. Ashlyn looked over at the other two Companions and found the other woman holding the torch absolutely beaming with pride while the man who handled the greatsword had a small but amused smile on his face. "A very interesting comparison, but correct" the huntress continued.

"Ah...I have to go. Need to get to Dragonsreach to deliver a message"

The man stepped forward "The gates are closed. Something about dragons being sighted and attacking some place nearby. While we can enter and leave freely, I doubt the guards would do the same for you"

"....well shit" she cursed

The huntress blinked "if it is important we could.....escort you inside. The guards won't keep you out then". At that the man gave her a sharp look "Aela..." he warned but she held up a hand to silence him. "What say you?" she continued

Ashlyn looked over the three of them once more. The man and the woman holding the torch appeared uncertain while the one called Aela was filled with calm assurance. "...Very well. Shall we?". Aela nodded and lead the way back to Whiterun. Farkas caught up with her and spoke quietly enough so their conversation couldn't be overheard. "Aela, are you even sure about this? She smells of...them"

"I'm sure icebrain. We don't get caught up in politics nor do we start judging people based on scent. She has skill and even stepped in instead of running off like a cowardly whelp. Besides, we need all the blades we can what with the Silver Hand clamping down on our throats"

Farkas quietly growled at the mention of their nemesis which prompted Aela to continue "if she comes then Kodlak will make the final call as to whether she joins or not. He always has had a good sense for people."

He sighed quietly "I can only hope you're right Aela"

The guards nodded to them as the all passed together. True to the huntress' word, they said nothing about her presence within the group. Once they got beyond the gates Aela stopped and pointed "up there is Dragonsreach, the Jarl's palace. And there-" she pointed in another direction "-is Jorrvaskr. Big building, you can't miss it. If you consider joining us then that's where we all are. I think you'd make a good Companion."

"I'll think about it then. Thanks Aela."

She simply nodded and continued walking back to Jorrvaskr leaving Ashlyn with her thoughts.

* * *

 

Sometime later a tired and rather irritated Ashlyn found herself fielding questions at sword point thanks to a equally irritated Dunmer housecarl. "For the last time, I was  _at Helgen_. I saw the dragon fly over my head roaring it's lizard head off as it flew north. I got to Riverwood the next day, Alvor the blacksmith saw it too along with several others. He  _asked_ me to pass a message to the Jarl that Riverwood needed help badly"

The Dunmer scoffed "Do you really expect me to believe that? We had a courier from the Legion saying that a Altmer had been spotted running from the scene after it had een attacked by the dragon. Now you're claiming you were at Helgen...."

Ashlyn narrowed her eyes and glared at the Dunmer woman "....do you  _really_ think I have the power to summon dragons from the sky and control them to boot?" _  
_

"Your kind have claimed to have done bigger things"

There was a silence as both Ashlyn and the housecarl stared daggers into each other. She did have to concede to the other woman, she knew her history well...or at least what the Thalmor 'claimed' they had a hand in. "True. But they boasted a large number of mages. Here you only have one...and admittedly a ill trained one at best. But-"

"Enough!" came a calm but commanding tone from the throne "Irileth, let me see our guest"

".....yes Jarl Balgruuf" she said reluctantly

Finally Ashlyn stepped forward toward the throne but kept a respectful distance. The Jarl relaxed in his seat and looked to his steward "well Proventus? You heard her story, can we continue to trust in the strength of our walls? Against a dragon?"

"My Jarl, I believe we should send forces to Riverwood at once. Should the dragon be lurking in the mountains then it is the most likely target for a attack" Irileth suggested

Proventus spluttered "B-But the Jarl of Falkreath could view that as a provocation that we're taking Ulfric's side against him!"

Ashlyn gazed at a spot above Balgruuf's throne while the housecarl and steward argued. She had briefly stopped in Falkreath a few times. Once while passing through while the remainder were on business. Her opinion of that particular Jarl was not a good one in that he enjoyed his drink and money far too much to be a capable leader. Where she got the sense that Jarl Balgruuf was a honorable but fair man, the Jarl of Falkreath was the complete opposite.

"Enough!" the Jarl roared, snapping Ashlyn back to her senses as the fighting pair silenced. "I will not stand idly by while a dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people! Irileth, do what you need to do and Proventus, I suggest you return to your duties."

"As you wish, my lord" they both responded and retreated to their assigned tasks.

The Jarl sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. "You did well coming to me. Thank you, as reward-" he waved forward a servant carrying a piece of armor "-this piece from my armor stores." He was silent for a while before he waved the servant over once more "find Farengar for me and tell him I've found someone to help him with his....dragon project"

The servant hurried off and disappeared. Ashlyn raised a quizzical eyebrow at the Jarl "dragon project?"

Jarl Balgruuf waved a hand dismissively "I'm not sure on the details, my court wizard should be able to tell you more once he's arrived". A short time later, a robed man came out from one of the side rooms to the great hall "you wished to see me, my Jarl?"

"Yes, I believe this woman may be able to help you with your dragon project. Please fill her in on the details"

"I see, come with me please". The wizard headed back into the side room with Ashlyn following. She narrowly avoided stepping into a shock rune that for whatever reason was on the floor in front of his desk. "Is that supposed to be there?" she asked

"hmm? what?"

She pointed to it "the shock rune on the floor? While it would be amusing to see someone step in it, it's probably not a good idea considering all the important people here"

"What? I never cast-" he looked over the desk and saw what she had meant, waving his hand over it to disperse it "...oh. I see you have knowledge of the higher arts"

"Barely. I can shoot fire, unnerve people and heal myself. That's about the limit of my spell knowledge". Realizing she was getting distracted she tried to put the conversation back on track "now why is the Jarl insisting I help you with your dragon project"

The wizard paced around while checking to see if he had left any more runes on the floor "ah he must be referring to my research on dragons. I could use someone to fetch something for me." He looked up at her and caught her silently raised eyebrow "well...when I say 'fetch' I really mean delve into a dangerous ruin for a artifact that may or may not still be there."

"May or may not?"

"Bandits, explorers or even time could have gotten to it first" he shrugged nonchalantly

".....I see. and what does this artifact have to do with dragons?"

"Ahh no mere brute mercenary but a thinker. Perhaps even a scholar?". Ashlyn narrowed her eyes at him silently and he cleared his throat uncomfortably and continue. "Ahem..... you see..... when the stories of dragons began to circulate, people dismissed them as rumors or impossibilities. The sure mark of a fool is to dismiss anything outside of his experience as being impossible"

"I can't really blame the people since dragons were thought to have been completely dead, at least according to what I've read in the past about them. So...due to current events.... the presence of dragons now begs the question of where did they go in the first place and where are they coming from now if I'm right"

"Exactly!" Farengar added excitedly "I believe the key may lie in something called a Dragonstone. It's a stone tablet containing a map of sorts of dragon burial sites said to be housed in Bleak Falls Barrow. Go there and bring it back here. Simplicity itself."

The wizard then returned to doing whatever he was doing previously while Ashlyn stood there in silence. Despite her intrigue at his idea, she just wanted to leave Skyrim as quickly as possible, but she had the feeling that telling the wizard 'no' and 'sod off and find someone else' wouldn't go over well. Particularly with the Jarl just nearby in the great hall. She sighed and simply left the room in silence.


	4. Vilkas

  
Tiredly Ashlyn dragged herself to Jorrvaskr after sacrificing the remaining coin she had to get a room at the Bannered Mare for the remainder of the night. The situation was desperate, she needed gold fast and hunting wouldn't be fast enough for her to make it to the south before winter.

The offer to join the Companions was tempting, but the risks of discovery from people she didn't want discovering she was alive were high. It was the desperation to quickly be away from Skyrim altogether that she found herself pushing open the doors to the mead hall and slipping inside to the warmth radiating from within.

WHACK! A pair of scuffling bodies slammed into her and made the back of her head collide with the door frame. Growling in annoyance she shoved them away from her as she rubbed the back of her head. One of the pair, a Nord, raised her fist and threw a punch at the Dunmer who quickly ducked out of the way. He blinked when he realized he wasn't the recipient of the punch and looked behind him nervously, finding a mildly pissed off Altmer rubbing her jaw from the punch Njada had given her.

"That really how the Companions treat their guests?" she asked, looking down at Njada with disdain

The Nord snorted "Just the ones who don't belong here"

"Well luckily I'm here to see Aela not you, now move."

The Dunmer watched Njada grit her teeth and step aside reluctantly. "This isn't finished" she muttered and the Altmer just waved a hand dismissively as she walked past her and down to Aela.

Ashlyn rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly as she approached Aela. She felt embarrassed in a sense of just how much the Nord reminded her of herself when she was younger.  
The huntress raised a confused eyebrow at Ashlyn's reaction after speaking with Njada "Are you alright?"

"Yes. She has a good punch" she said, jerking her thumb at the still seething Njada "my jaw still aches slightly from that"

Aela winced "I take it you're here to take me up on my offer?". The Altmer nodded silently and she continued "then Kodlak will see you and judge your worth. Just go down the stairs, turn right and go straight. His room is at the end."

Ashlyn once again nodded her thanks and followed the Huntress' instructions, she paused when she heard talking from Kodlak's room and found that he was not alone.

"But I still feel the call of the blood" the younger nord spoke in a low voice

"I know, it is our burden to bear. But it can be overcome" the older one soothed

"You still have my support along with my brother's. But I don't know if the rest will go along as easily"

The older nord, she assumed to be Kodlak raised a hand to silence the other Companion and stared at her pointedly "can I help you?"

She cautiously entered the room, noting how the younger nord's eyes instantly narrowed at her intrusion. "Aela sent me down, she said if I wished to join the Companions then I had to see you"

"I see. Name please."

"Ashlyn. Ashlyn Lorenus"

"Hmm..." Kodlak looked at the potential whelp with interest while scratching his beard in thought. He noted that she stood unusually straight, something he hadn't seen outside of army soldiers due to their strict regimen. When he got to her face and eyes he saw extreme weariness and fear, but also a certain fire burning behind them. A resilience to keep going. "a certain sense of spirit perhaps..." he mused

The nord beside him was aghast "Master! surely you're aren't seriously considering accepting her!"  
Kodlak slowly turned his head and narrowed his eyes at the younger man, ashamed of his outburst "I am no one's 'master', Vilkas, and last I checked there were still beds in Jorrvaskr for anyone with a fire burning in their hearts"

Vilkas hung his head slightly "my apologies, perhaps this isn't the best time. I've never even heard of this outsider"  
The Harbinger sighed "Sometimes the famous come to us, sometimes the men and women come to us to seek their fame. Their reason matters not in the end, just their heart"  
"and their arm" Vilkas grumbled

Ashlyn twitched slightly and stared at Vilkas in annoyance. "If you're that unsure that my weak little arms won't be able to stand against a blade then why don't you test me?"

"please! I'd cleave you in two before you'd have a chance to move" he scoffed

Kodlak tapped his finger in irritation at the pair's posturing to one another. "Enough. Vilkas, go test her outside"

"with pleasure" and with that he practically bolted from his chair and jogged upstairs to the training area behind the mead hall, leaving Ashlyn in his wake to follow him. Ashlyn couldn't help rolling her eyes slightly and followed, he already had a shield and sword in his hands and was waiting for her.

Vilkas meanwhile took a more clearer look at his opponent now that she was outside. She was tall but oddly not as tall as most Altmer he'd seen in the past that usually towered over him by a few inches at least. She was however too thin for his liking, with the hide armor she wore practically hanging from her frame.  
He watched as she removed her pack and freed her sword from its sheath and hit his shield with his blade. "Come on, don't have all day. Feel free to swing a few blows at me so I can see your form....if you can" he mockingly grinned.

She ignored him and he felt the wolf rise against the insult as the grin fell from his face. Making him more determined to prove that she didn't belong with Jorrvaskr. She was weak and not worthy to join their ranks and who better to put that point across but he.

She got into a unusual combat stance with her body falling in line behind her sword and waited silently until her lip lifted into a slight smirk.  
For some reason that alone made his temper flare and he rushed her, swinging his sword at her with more force than he intended. A loud ringing noise filled the air and he found his sword was blocked from completing its attack by her blade. Blinking in shock he looked at her, surprised when he founder her staring back. Her smirk was gone and replaced by a small smile instead.

"First rule of combat; control your temper" she grunted as she forced his sword away from her body. Vilkas merely growled in annoyance once the shock wore off and pressed on the attack once more.

He couldn't help but be slightly impressed as she either blocked or nimbly dodged out of the way of his attacks. After a particularly wide swing on his part, she began her attack before he recovered and he found himself swiftly on the defence. While her attacks weren't particularly powerful, they were fast and that made it just as lethal if he wasn't careful.

A loud cheer came from his right and he risked a quick glance, finding practically the whole mead hall watching their bout with interest. "Don't get distracted!" his opponent yelled right as she lifted her sword and held it against his throat.

Silence filled the air as the Companions watched in shock as Vilkas was beaten. Ashlyn gently lifted her sword away and sheathed it while Vilkas blinked and cleared his throat in embarrassment. He sheathed his own blade and held it out to her roughly "take this to Eorlund Gray-Mane at the forge above to get sharpened. Don't drop it. It's worth more than you are"

Sighing quietly she took it from his hand and watched him shoulder his way through the crowd to enter Jorrvaskr once more.


	5. Feast

  
Ashlyn waited until the crowd had fully dispersed before lowering her hood and wiping the sweat from her brow. She did have to admit, Vilkas was a good warrior and it had showed that he had been taught well during her test fight. However in actual battle small mistakes such as being distracted from the opponent in a fight, could be extremely deadly.

Following Vilkas' instructions after replacing her hood, she found Eorlund just in the process of returning to work and she sheepishly held out the blade to him. "Vilkas wanted this sharpened"

"hrm" he grunted as he took it. After a long pause he spoke again "You did good. Don't mind him though"

"Does Vilkas always send the newcomers on errands?" she asked, amusement colouring her tone

"No" Eorlund sat at the grindwheel and proceeded to sharpen the sword "It's more like he conveniently forgets he himself was a whelp once. I'd say the fight you two had was more than enough to remind him of that"

The Altmer sat on a stone quietly for a while before asking "should I apologise?"

He shook his head "No. Just let him be to cool down. His pride would be rather bruised right now after being taken down and even educated by a new blood. It would be even worse if said new blood apologised"

Ashlyn smiled slightly "It feels almost like meeting a new animal or a dog. Letting it come to you first"

Eorlund suddenly stopped and stood up sharply. He took a shield and thrust it into Ashlyn's hands "Here. Take this to Aela, she's been waiting for a while for this. I'd do it myself but my wife is in mourning and I need to get back to her"

"I....okay...?" she took it and watched as the smith sheathed Vilkas' sword and passed it to her as well in silence. After that he quickly strode down the hill and out of sight before she could ask if she said something wrong.

She waited for a while, berating herself in her mind for not watching her tongue before shaking her head and sighing. Picking up the sword and Aela's shield she then made her way quietly back into Jorrvaskr, nearly getting hit once again by a rushing Companion carrying a large platter of meat. It seemed as though they were preparing for a feast and she managed to restrain a grimace from showing on her face.

Upon finding Aela was not within the main hall she decided to look downstairs in the rooms, hoping to find her there and drop the shield off. Hearing the huntress' voice she made a beeline for where it was coming from and stopped just outside the door when she found Aela wasn't alone.

"Ah the triumphant one appears!" she grinned

Ashlyn pulled a slight face at the praise and held out the shield "Eorlund wanted me to pass this on to you. He's going home early today he said"

"I see. Thank you for bringing this to me. Skjor?" she looked to the other Nord in the room "This is the one you saw being tested by Vilkas earlier"

Skjor nodded quietly to Ashlyn while Aela took the shield "If you don't mind Aela, I'll show the new blood to the room myself. I need to speak with her anyway."

Aela blinked in surprise "go ahead then, I was going to ask the icebrain but if you're going to..."

"Thanks." Skjor responded and looked to the slightly condused Altmer still standing in the door "follow me." At that he walked past her and around the corner. Ashlyn looked at Aela who shrugged before following Skjor. He moved just far enough to be out of Aela's hearing range before turning to Ashlyn with a serious expression. "You're a soldier aren't you?"  
The look of alarm and colour bleaching from her face was enough answer to him and he quickly held up his hand to silence her. Speaking lowly and quietly to ensure they wouldn't be heard. "Thought so"

"H-how did you know?"

"Because I've fought enough of your kind in the Great War to know how they move and above all, how they handle their swords. Most who handle a blade just hack and slash until things are dead. Only trained warriors or soldiers have more...technique... as to how to use them properly. How you handled your sword against Vilkas, not to mention your reaction just now, was what gave you away"

Ashlyn was pale and stared a hole into the floor while Skjor just scratched his cheek in exhasperation. His mind raced to find a suitable answer to the conundrum. It would throw the Companions in uproar if it was discovered she was former Altmer military, not to mention it was too late to revoke her candidacy quietly without arising suspicion behind her removal.  
He sighed "Look. I won't inform anyone else of what you are....were-" he corrected himself "-whether you tell anyone else yourself or not is up to you. Just be mindful of the consequences if you don't and you get discovered. Understood?"

She looked up and nodded to him. "Good" he continued "that aside, you did good. Your movements are a bit stiff, particularly in the lower legs but we'll go over that tomorrow and see what else needs work. For now..." He continued down the hallway and stopped outside a door "this is the whelps room, where you'll be sleeping. Just pick a bed and fall into it when you get tired. Now then.... there'll be a feast tonight in your honor which will be in about a hour...and that's pretty much it. Any questions?"

"No....oh wait." she passed Vilkas' sword to him "Eorlund sharpened it as ordered. I would give it to him but I don't think he wants to see me for a while, after everything earlier"  
Skjor blinked but took it "Very well. See you in a hour then."

Once Ashlyn disappeared in the whelps room he strode over to Vilkas' room and tapped the closed door with the hilt of the sword. The door swung open fast and he was face to face with a livid Companion who wrenched the sword out of his hand "Don't do that! damn you Skjor!"

"You done behaving like a kicked whelp or should I leave you to brood to yourself?" he dully responded, leaning against the frame

Vilkas growled menacingly at the older man as he placed his sword in the chest before locking it tight. "What do you want Skjor?"

"To remind you that Kodlak will expect to see you at the feast tonight, if your original intention was to remain in here all evening."

The younger nord grunted a response "fine."

"Good. That was all I needed to hear." And with that, Skjor left him be without closing the door much to Vilkas' annoyance.

* * *

  
A some time later and Ashlyn found herself uncomfortably crammed in between the Dunmer who whacked into her on first entry, who she learned that his name was Athis, and some drunk who had already passed out on the table.

The beginning speeches were made and the feasting began, aside from speaking to Athis about the Companions she remained quiet. Old habits from the Summerset Isle kicked in and went into complete overdrive during the course of the feast. On one occasion when she looked up from her plate she found Athis, Njada and Vilkas giving her strange looks and she instantly felt uncomfortable, eating nothing further.

When the feast finally died down into easy and partially drunken conversation, Ashlyn took the opportunity to slip out the back in the courtyard and took a few shuddering breaths in the cold air while trying to ignore the hunger pangs in her stomach.

The door behind her creaked open and she found one of the Companions who she hadn't met yet standing behind her, holding a plate of mixed foods and a skin of water. "My brother noticed that you'd left, asked me to make sure you ate something more than what you got"

She blinked in confusion. "Brother?"

"Vilkas. I'm his brother, Farkas. Nice to meet you"

"....huh"

A silence followed until Farkas held out the plate "Here. eat"

She hesitantly reached out to take it and practically snatched it from his hand when she found it wasn't being taken away. Turning her back to him she started gobbling it down, only stopping when she started choking on a stray vegetable, much to Farkas' amusement.

Once she'd eaten enough to feel full she wiped her mouth and took the offered waterskin, feeling a bit embarrassed at herself in the process. "Um...thank you."  
Farkas sat on one of the chairs on the porch quietly as she drank. "Mind explaining what went on in there?"

Her fingers tapped the waterskin as she thought how best to phrase it. "Think lots of dinner table rules....and a lot of punishment if you got them wrong. It's very....formal on the Summerset Isle to say the least. Old habits unfortunately die hard"

He was quiet for a moment "Don't worry about too much of those here. Know it may not sound like much but we won't think less of you for just eating a meal whatever way you need to"

Ashlyn's lip quirked slightly "It's more complicated than that...but I appreciate the thought"

Farkas gave a tiny smile "feeling better at least?"

"Now that I'm full, yes. Why did Vilkas send you out here?"

"Other than to make sure you were fed, I'm guessing possible apology for earlier. Don't know. He never told me the reason."

She looked up and watched the aurora stream across the sky in bright colours "I see...tell him thanks from me if you could"

Farkas nodded "oh, Skjor told me he wants to see you at midday tomorrow for your training. After that he'll give you your first job I think."  
"Thank you Farkas. I'll be there."

With that Farkas left her be to watch the sky, upon re-entry into the mead hall he caught sight of his brother staring at him. He gave a nod, signifying that the peace offering had been accepted and he watched the expression on Vilkas' face relax a bit. Farkas just shook his head in confusion at his brother and started heading off to bed for the night.


	6. Hircine

Skjor was a tough teacher. By the end of a week her legs felt like dead weights of pain. She'd fallen out of practice badly since her time in the military and the solid burning sensation proved it. But considering that she'd been doing almost nothing but walking since a few years after the Concordant was signed, she wasn't overly surprised.

Pulling her head out of bad memories, and the water bucket she was using to cool her head, she sighed and looked about the courtyard. Most of the other Companions had already retreated indoors for the day. She hadn't seen any sign of Vilkas and for that she counted her blessings, but she hadn't seen any sign of Aela or Farkas either.

"I take it the older members are out on jobs?" she asked Skjor who was currently seated on the steps nearby.

"Yes. There's been a increase in work lately. Particularly in bandit activity" he responded

"I didn't know it had gotten that bad" she admitted

"There's always bandits. They take advantage of wars like this. That's when you really see them come out in force"

She was quiet for a while as she remembered what got her here. Then suddenly Alvor and their deal popped into her head. "Hey, out of curiosity is there any jobs out Riverwood way that need doing?"

"Riverwood? Hmm, I might have had something come through this morning. Why do you ask?"

"I had a arrangement with the blacksmith there. Supplies and things in exchange for my taking a message to the Jarl. I'd completely forgotten about it until just now, with the mention of bandits and all"

Skjor stood and went inside while Ashlyn wrung out her wet hair and waited. He came back a short time later with a letter in his hand that he was reading. "It's not very close but it's all I have that makes you pass through Riverwood at some point if you took the roads. Either to get there or come back."

"What is the job?"

"There's a grove a short distance from Falkreath. Evergreen Grove. Usually the spriggans keep to themselves but for some reason, this one isn't and is attacking anyone in the area. Think you can clear it out?"

Ashlyn folded her arms as she thought "I should be able to handle it"

Skjor nodded "Then you can head out as soon as you like"

Quickly gathering up her things, she moved as fast as she could while gulping down a stamina potion that Athis had been kind enough to give her earlier in the week. The feeling of pain in her legs slowly abated, making her sigh in bliss while she crammed supplies in her pack. She changed from the clothes she was wearing into her armor and set off west. Deciding to save Alvor and the Dragonstone for the walk back to Whiterun.

* * *

 

Ashlyn squinted through the fog, it had rolled in since before she arrived at Evergreen Grove and now hung thick. Making things difficult to see. She'd already been surprised more than once when several bears took notice of her presence and decided to chase her through the woods. They didn't stop and she had to resort to killing them before she ended out dragging them to Falkreath with her. Loaded down with the bear pelts, she then made her way into the city of Falkreath.

Hearing a voice speaking funeral rites, she looked over and found a Altmer priest speaking the prayers of Arkay before a grieving couple. Curious as to the priest she inched closer while still keeping a respectable distance.

He finished the last of the rites and moved away from the couple. The woman's shoulders shook violently and her partner drew her in close, providing what little comfort he could. He had moved aside enough she noticed that it was the grave of a child they stood before.

"Such a sad thing to happen to a child" he said sadly while looking back at the couple

"W..what happened here?" her voice shook slightly and she fought to control it

The man who was comforting his wife looked up, his voice cracking slightly in restrained emotion "Sinding. He came through as a labourer. Seemed decent enough but...he....he ripped her apart. My...my little girl...". His wife shook harder, muffling the sobs in his shirt.

Ashlyn stood back, uncomfortable and anxious by the scene before her. She turned back to the priest "where is he now?"

"He has been taken to the cells while the Jarl makes a decision on what to do with him"

'which will take a while' she thought.

The couple slowly moved away, while the priest observed her "I do admit that its rare to see a fellow Altmer outside of the army and Justicars..." he mused

"The same could be said for a Altmer priest of Arkay" her tone came out harshly. Something she didn't intend to happen

She was surprised when the priest chuckled quietly "My name is Runil... I came here after the Great War. When I came into Arkay's light. So many died by my hand...by my magics. I am fortunate Kust over there and the people of Falkreath have come to accept me as one of their own."

"Battlemag-"

Quickly he held his hand up to silence her, appearing uncomfortable. "Please...I'd rather not revisit those times, nor do I wish the people here to remember them. As I am sure you can understand."

"I understand..." she said quietly "all too well..."

Runil tilted his head slightly, a look of pity and understanding was on his face as he watched the young Altmer before him.

"Have the Thalmor visited?"

He blinked in surprise but shook his head "Not recently. They haven't needed a reason to stay beyond possibly spending a night at the inn before moving on, thankfully."  
Ashlyn nodded quietly before the priest continued "would you mind doing a old man a favour?"

"What is it?"

"I lost a old journal of mine in a cave somewhere while exploring one day. If it still exists and you happen to find it could you return it to me? It contains regrets I have that shouldn't be forgotten"

She came to a realization that the man standing before her and herself right here and now were very similar, in more ways than one. Feeling it imperitave that she at least keep a eye out while travelling she nodded "consider it done."

"Thank you, traveller. Please feel free to come by at any time"

She merely nodded once more and let the priest depart. Catching sight of Kust in the background giving a hard expression she turned her head and walked to the Barracks. Trying to keep her mind off of old memories she didn't want in the process.

Later on she found herself staring in confusion and a hint of coldness at the accused murderer who was cautiously approaching the bars of the cell. Once again she had a similar feeling of she was dealing with a wild animal and found herself standing back slightly.

"Come to gawk at the monster have you?" he asked sadly

"Why did you kill the girl?" she simply responded

The Nord twitched slightly "I didn't do it on purpose...It...it wasn't anything I ever intended to do. Believe me! I just...lost control..."

Ashlyn folded her arms and just stared at him balefully.

"It's because of this blasted ring!"

"Ring?"

"The Ring of Hircine..."

She blinked. "Now why would you have a artifact for lycanthropes....unless...?"

He stared a hole into the floor, a look of misery on his face "Yes. I am one of those that changes depending on the influence of the moons. I had...problems changing. I was told by someone that the Ring would help with that. Hircine didn't eactly care for my taking of it and put a curse on the thing."

"Daedric Princes have a habit of hating when their tokens are taken or used without their consent"

"The Ring forced changes on me at the worst times....like...with the little girl... even now I still feel the animal inside. Clawing to get out."

"Do you still have the Ring?"

He reached through the bars and placed a pure silver ring into her hand. Suddenly it disappeared and ended up on her ring finger, the wolf on the band facing her. She felt a tingle of power coming from it that gave her arm the sensation of pins and needles for a moment before it faded. Experimentally she tugged on it and found that it was indeed stuck fast to her finger.

"If I didn't know better I'd almost think Sheogorath was pranking me... Okay, what do I need to do to get it off?"

"Will you help me?" Sinding pleaded

"What?" she was taken aback and staring incredulously at the Nord

"Will you help me?...plead to Hircine for forgiveness on my behalf"

There was a long silence "very well" she said reluctantly. "tell me how to get this bloody thing off"

He looked relieved as he filled her in on the details. Apparently nearby was a small stream where a white stag would appear, killing it would summon Hircine to congatulate the hunter. Ashlyn watched as Sinding changed form in front of her and used his agile werewolf form to escape the cell. A guard nearby had noticed the commotion and shouted for other guards to hunt him down while Ashlyn herself made a stealthy escape from the commotion and went to hunt the stag.  
  
The route getting there was harder than she thought, climbing extremely steep hills in order to reach the spot she was told the Aspect of Hircine would appear. Sure enough she saw a white stag taking a drink in the distance and instantly crouched while drawing her bow. Carefully notching a arrow she crept closer and pulled back the string and let it fly. The arrow hit true but didn't bring the stag down, instead it took off. Bounding and leaping through the forest while Ashlyn scrambled to follow.

Her foot went out from under her on the edge of a small cliff and she skidded down the side. Her scream echoed through the forest before she came to a rest at the bottom on a sharp rock. A small tumbling of stones was all the signal she had before the stag she shot earlier literally came down on top of her, making her head hit the rock hard.  
Seeing stars and being pinned by the heavy weight she took a minute to clear her head before the sense she wasn't alone came upon her. She opened her eyes, and found the ghost of the stag staring at her a bit too close to her face.

"I am the spirit of the hunt, just a single mere glimpse of the one your kind calls Hircine!"

Blinking, sore and not in the best of moods she really couldn't help a sarcastic response "Forgive me, my lord. But at current I'm not in the state to recieve visitors right at this moment. ....You're also too close to my face for comfort."

The ghost stag snorted and obligingly stepped back, leaving her to shove the dead corpse off her body and move into a sitting position while she rubbed the second lump on the back of her head. "Right... moment of awkwardness aside, I'd like you to take back your ring. I'm not a lycanthrope and I don't have any use for a permanent decoration"

"I may consider it...but first I have a condition. A service for my glory. The one who stole it fled like how a bear climbs a tree to escape the hurt. But only ends up trapping itself. Seek out this rogue shifter and tear the skin from his body. Make it a offering to me."

Ashlyn winced at the mental image that came to mind. "And where will I find him now?"

The stag didn't respond but a image suddenly appeared in her mind of a cave near the mill she passed earlier in the day. A strong compulsion to go there also filled her thoughts before the stag disappeared without a trace. Turning back to the white stag corpse she decided to quickly skin it and place the skin in her pack along with what hunks of venison she could gather. Then set off to find Sinding.

* * *

  
It was long after nightfall before she reached the cave in question. She entered cautiously, readying her sword as she crept along the tunnel, eventually reaching a spot and finding that the cave actually opened to the sky. The scenery of all the plants and trees was actually quite beautiful if spoiled by corpses from hunters that had beaten her to the punch.

Looking at the bodies her mind flicked back to a couple of particular memories of her posting after the war and she faltered in her steps, shaking her head to clear the thought before it consumed her. For some reason, despite desiring justice for the girl, she felt it was wrong to hunt Sinding for a accident and mistake.

Suddenly a howl echoed through the grotto making her teeth clench in reflex and she ran through the maze of trees and ruins to reach the source of the noise. The scene was chaos with the werewolf that was Sinding fighting to take down three hunters at once. With a battle roar she leapt into the fray, placing herself in between one of the hunters and Sinding, forcing him away from the tiring wolf. The orc snarled and started attacking her with his dagger.

He was already tired and wounded from Sinding's claws and it didn't take much for Ashlyn to run him through the stomach with her sword. She span to pull it free and used the momentum to slit his throat before launching into a attack on the remaining two adversaries. Sinding had a mishap and lashed out with his claws, intending to hit the hunters but accidentally clawing her back and making her yell in pain as the armor was shredded like paper.

"Damn you Sinding I'm trying to help you!" she gave the wolf a glare as she forced the Redguard back with her blade.

"On the side of a fucking wolf?" she sneered while attacking with her sword

Ashlyn didn't respond and instead blocked the blow, using her magic to send a blast of flame in the Redguard's face and forcing her back further. Meanwhile Sinding had killed the final remaining hunter and was approaching to help her with her own problem. "Oh no you don't. I've got this!". She stopped the stream of flame and attacked with her sword once more while the Redguard recovered.

She quickly slashed, opening up deep wounds in the hunter's body when she recovered and fought back. It was too late and a few more blows had the hunter crumpling into the dirt along with her comrades.

Turning back to Sinding after taking the Redguard's sword for her own, she fixed him with a glare. "Is there any more?"

"Y-Yes. Three."

"Lets finish them and then I want a word with you" she growled before climbing to a higher ledge, trying to ignore the pain in her back. Sinding watched the Altmer, whining slightly but followed along the main path to reach the next small clearing where the next group of hunters was waiting.

Replacing the pilfered sword with her bow she took aim from her high vantage point and waited on Sinding to attract their attention. Once he had it she then let the arrow fly, taking out one of the hunters with a arrow through his skull. Ignoring the sense of satisfaction of killing him in one blow, she then took aim at the other. The shot didn't ring true this time and instead hit one of the remaining hunters in the arm.

Cursing, she slid down from the ledge and joined Sinding once more to help kill the hunters. By the time they were done they both were exhausted and resting on a shrine of Talos, she reluctantly pulled out the sole health potion she had and gave it to Sinding.

"Thank you" he growled slightly while talking which she found unusual

"I'm wondering how you can talk in that form but I'm not questioning it." she sighed and winced, using what little magicka she had left after the battles to try and speed the healing in her back.

"Sorry for earlier...I didn't realise"

"mph. One second" she gave him a sharp much to his maw, making him yelp

"h-hey!"

"that was for clawing me" She then gave him another one which made him whine in pain "that was for being a idiot and making a daedra angry"

"You spoke to Hircine?"

"If I hadn't you'd be skinned by now, wolf" she growled. Still angry with him for wounding her.

"I see...thank you. I mean it. I'm...I'm going to remain here. Away from anyone I could hurt" the wolf nodded in a oddly human gesture

"I think...that might be for the best. All things considered. If you're able to keep your mind while being in this form then this may have been the best result." She paused, thinking. "As for the girl...I'll go back and say I slayed you. Skin a wolf on the way. Should at least keep the guards from Falkreath off of you."

He was silent for a while as she continued "What happened was a mistake. A stupid one, but a mistake. You have a second chance Sinding, don't waste it."

"I won't. Thank you again"

Ashlyn nodded and got up to leave. A book caught her eye and she picked it up, leafing through it lightly she realized that it was Runil's journal and placed it in her pack. Exiting the cave she was surprised by the apparition of the stag once more, she tugged at the ring and it came off. She threw it at the stag and wasn't at all surprised when it floated in the air instead of hitting him.

"Well done hunter!" Hircine praised

"I'm done my lord. Sinding lives, the hunt was turned on the hunters. But I am done with the game. Enough."

"And in the process, earned my favor." the ring floated in her direction slowly.

"My lord...instead of the trinket, please....don't do anything like this again"

The stag tilted it's head questioningly.

"It's one thing to punish those who deserve it for stealing your artifacts or using them wrongly, but to drag in innocent lives to make a point..."

The stag said nothing and instead disappeared. The ring vanished as well so she took it to be a good sign that the request had not fallen on deaf ears...at least for now. Ashlyn sighed quietly and shook her head before setting off back for Falkreath, gathering the skin on the way.


	7. Dragonstone Part 1

Vilkas had enjoyed his time away from Jorrvaskr, the wolf within him was practically elated at the chance to be outside in Skyrim. It did miss its pack mates however, and as a result it filled the man with a strong desire to return home. He had to clear out a bandit camp west of Skyrim and had decided to take one of the more scenic routes through Falkreath Hold in order to return home.

It had started raining shortly before so he was hurrying along the main road outside Riverwood when he caught sight of a familiar figure making its way up the path leading toward Bleak Falls Barrow. He jogged to catch up and smacked a hand firmly on its back. The figure stiffened sharply, span round and suddenly he felt a rough punch to his stomach. “W-what in the hells was that for whelp?!” he wheezed.

The Altmer glared at him from under her hood “for scaring the life out of me, you idiot!” she growled. Stuck somewhere between pain and anger. She was fairly sure that his blow had opened up the half healed scratches on her back again but she wasn't about to admit she was hurt to anyone. Least of all HIM. “why are you here anyway?”

Raising a eyebrow at her growl he responded “I was passing through from completing another task. Just happened to spot you on the way. And may I ask why you're going toward the Barrow instead of returning to Jorrvaskr?”

“What are you? My mother?” she snapped, the pain in her back wasn't helping her temper and she saw Vilkas fold his arms looking irritated.

He growled slightly “If you’re that keen on my leaving…” he turned to go but she stopped him by grabbing his arm instead. Surprised somewhat at the contact he looked back at her as she wet her lips with her tongue.

“look…I’m sorry….and I need help” Letting go of him she then returned to her former position, just with her head more lowered than before.

“help how?”

“I need…someone to watch my back while I fetch something from inside there” she jerked her thumb at the ruins further up the path. “The Jarl's wizard wanted a particular artifact for his dragon project. He didn't give me the opportunity to disagree so I'm kind of stuck with the job” looking at him, she gave him a pained smile.

Blinking slightly he then smirked “An Altmer asking for help, never thought I'd see the day”

Her expression turned into a flat unamused stare “are you really going to pull this shit or are you going to help me? I’m sure Kodlak would be amused with the full grown Companion ignoring a new blood's request for assistance “

His eyes narrowed sharply “leave him out of this”

“Then what say you?”

“Fine” he agreed grudgingly. He unfolded his arms and gestured up the path “after you, my lady”

Ashlyn rolled her eyes at his childish behaviour and continued up the path with the Nord following in silence. The rain had sunk in through the hide armor she wore which further aggravated the scratches making them near constantly sting as she moved and it further soured her mood. At the top she hid behind a pillar and pulled her bow while Vilkas hid beside her, her vision was a bit hazy as she pulled back the string and let the arrow fly. This time it missed and alerted the bandits above that they were not alone.

Vilkas, slipped round to the other side of the pillar and pulled a two handed blade from his back and waited. The unaware bandit walked past his position and a short moment later his head went flying from his shoulders. One of the remaining bandits saw the commotion and rushed down, rather stupidly to confront them.

While the Companion kept him busy Ashlyn went around the side of the pillar and stabbed him with her sword from behind. Her eyes locked with the Nord's for a brief moment before she turned and jogged up the stairs, taking out the final bandit quickly. Joining her a short moment later, he gave her a glance thinking that it was unusual for her to miss such a easy shot.

He held open the ruin door and ushered her inside, shutting it quietly behind him when he found her sneaking toward another two bandits, bow drawn once more. This time Ashlyn didn’t miss as she took a deep breath to steady herself and the surprise attack was successful in that she only needed two arrows.

Straightening up she then checked to make sure Vilkas was still there before walking deeper into the ruins. “There's at least one more bandit still here” she stated while picking up a fallen lit torch carefully.

He kept his sword in a ready position as he followed “aye? How so?”

“before I killed the other two above, they were talking about a claw and their leader running off with it.”

Grumbling she dodged around a trap and through a open gate. Pausing, he grabbed the whelp's shoulder and forced her to halt. Sheathing his sword for the moment, he then held a finger to his lips in a gesture for silence. Dimly further down the corridor he could hear frantic shouting. “I think we found our missing bandit” smirking he then lead the way, following the sound of the voice.

Ashlyn followed silently this time, the room felt a bit too warm now so she extinguished the torch while trying to keep pace with the Companion. Eventually they came to a large room with the bandit leader encased with webbing at the end. Vilkas eyed off the room, particularly the large hole in the ceiling above, but could neither see or hear anything despite his enhanced senses. He looked to the bandit at the end and cautiously approached him, Ashlyn following close behind.

“Hey-hey you there! Get me down before it comes back! Please!” the bandit pleaded “I'll give you a cut of the treasure!”

Ashlyn snorted dismissively “sure and then you run off to claim so called ‘treasure’ for your own and leave us to fight whatever is still alive in this crypt”

Rubbing the bridge of his nose in annoyance he turned to the Altmer “you have a dagger?” She shut up and eased the pack from her lower back, managing to restrain a hiss of pain in the process. She had adjusted the shoulder straps so the pack wouldn't put pressure on her wounds as she walked. One handed she dug around inside and felt for the dagger, once found she passed it to him. “here”

“thanks” he said as she put the pack back on. His nose caught the faint metallic scent coming from her and he stared for a moment. Ashlyn’s expression quickly became annoyed and so he turned and started work on cutting down the bandit. The webbing was thick and sticky as he pulled at it, the dagger was also helping to cut bits loose.

Finally the bandit fell free and brushed himself off “thanks for that. Now I mussssss-“ he trailed off staring in terror at Ashlyn.

Vilkas was confused and followed his gaze “what is- …….oh”. Ashlyn still looked annoyed “What?” she asked while folding her arms

“Spider” he responded simply, the bandit frantically nodding right behind him. “big one”

She paled slightly “………its right behind me isn't it?”

A further nod confirmed her suspicions and she slowly turned to find a pair of giant disgusting drooling mandibles in her face and she just froze in terror, her mind completely blanking out. Vilkas ran forward and shoved her out of the way as the giant frostbite spider reared up and displayed its fangs, preparing to attack. He threw the dagger at the spider to bring its focus on him and not the whelp while backing up. Pulling his sword free he then launched into the attack with large powerful swings. The spider tried attacking him with its fangs but he blocked them albeit awkwardly. Suddenly a large burst of flame engulfed the spider, the smell of burning arachnid made the Nord retch slightly as he finished it off with a final powerful blow.

The fire stopped once the spider died and Vilkas looked over to where he shoved the whelp, she still had her hand outstretched but seemed to be coming out of whatever strange trance she had found herself in. He moved closer and found she was breathing hard, gently he crouched down just in front of her and waited. Eventually she returned to herself and lowered her hand while looking away in embarrassment, mumbling a apology to him. “….sorry”

Shaking his head quietly he looked over her with a expression of concern “Are you alright?” he held his hand out to help her up and was actually surprised when she took it. It was cold and clammy but also had the familiar callouses that said that she had used swords frequently.

“Intending to invite me to dinner or something?” she weakly teased which actually made him jump slightly as his mind returned to current events instead of wherever it was.

“you wish whelp” he snorted and began gently tugging her to her feet. Looking about the room he found that their bandit guest had disappeared “looks like you were correct about him running off. Typical bandits”

Ashlyn was still shaky as she slowly calmed down, a cold sweat had made her hair stick to the back of her neck. “lets continue on, shall we?” And she made her way through the opening the web had left, taking extra care not to let it touch her. A short time later they found their bandit lying dead surrounded by heavily wounded draugr. Quickly dispatching them she then proceeded to investigate his corpse, pulling out a gold dragon claw, a journal and some gold. The latter of which she pocketed. “seems here he stole the claw from the general store in Riverwood thinking that it unlocked a door leading to treasure” she read.

“I don't normally investigate deeply into ruins but I have heard of treasure hunters complaining now and again of being stopped by large doors requiring a unusual key” Vilkas scratched his chin in thought while Ashlyn raised a eyebrow at him.

Straightening she then continued onward after putting both the ‘key’ and journal in her pack. She turned when she heard a large bang behind her and found Vilkas sheepishly grinning at her as he took advantage of the triggered gate trap to fall in behind her. Sighing she turned to continue into the archway only to get her nose nearly sliced off by a swinging blade.

Easing the pack off once more she shoved it into the snickering Companion's arms and watched the blades to time them before she sprinted through and pulled the chain at the end. He walked through and tossed her the pack back. She missed catching it and held her head as it span a bit, the sound of the bag caught his attention and he looked back at her.

Approaching her he took a couple of deep breaths, trying to catch her scent. He paused for a minute, catching himself from displaying too many of his…unique abilities. When she didn't notice he took a few more, picking up the scents of blood, sweat and something else.

Thinking back to where he remembered something similar he remembered a whelp once who was slack in cleaning his blade and he cut himself. A few days after infection started in and he along with Farkas had to cart the man to Kynareth so he could be healed.

Reaching out he took her arm “whelp, do you need rest?”. The question made her raise her head, furious at first but it faded out to a pained grimace. “I can hear water ahead of us. Hold on a little longer” he coaxed, trying to keep her moving. Upon her silent nod he shouldered her pack and quietly lead the way, keeping quiet as to not disturb anymore draugr.

Finally they reached a the stream, Vilkas only letting go of her arm to dispatch the lone daugr walking around before he returned and took her to a clear patch of floor. “Sit. Tell me where you're wounded

 

Ashlyn did as ordered "how did you know?" she asked quietly

 

 

“it was your sce-“ he stopped and shook his head. “it was how you moved earlier and just now with the bag. For the love of Kyne, stop fighting me and tell me where!” he growled, impatient with her stalling. He watched as the Altmer bit her lip but turned around. “my back” she admitted.

Sighing heavily as he finally got a straight answer from her he looked about at their surroundings. Grabbing a bowl he filled it with water from the ice melt stream and set it near her and cast about in her pack for something he could use. Finding a shirt and several bear pelts he decided to make do and set about ripping the shirt into strips.

She reached over and pulled one of the pelts over so she wasn’t just sitting on the hard ground, taking off her hood afterward. Vilkas watched a long dark gold ponytail fall from the confines of the hood as she removed it. Her ears, part of the symbols of her Altmer heritage poked through her hair and he reached out, gently moving the tail aside. He found her glancing at him from over her shoulder. “Can you heat the bowl with your fire? Just enough so the water boils”

“I should have just enough power for that. One moment” extending her hand she directed a thin stream of fire toward the metal bowl. Heating it enough that it was steaming. “There…anything else?”

Vilkas was quiet as he set about helping her remove the top half of the armor slowly “what about healing potions?”

Unable to restrain a yelp this time she gritted her teeth. “pack. In the… ah! white pelt. Wanted to save them…in case of a nasty surprise later”

Cleaning his hands with one strip of cloth he then set about dripping the hot water down the back of the hide armor to loosen it from her skin. She made a few low guttural groans as they both worked together to remove it. He found a plethora of old scarring on her back, similar to whip cuts, but it was the most recent wound that gave him pause. Four long deep scratches in her upper back oozing a mixture of pus and blood, those wounds he knew all too well and what had made it.

Working to clear his throat he then set about cleaning them “when did you run into a werewolf, whelp?” he asked quietly The elf before him stiffened but then shuddered as her back protested the movement. She debated on lying but decided to tell the truth since he was the one helping her.

“Three days ago. Man named Sending got himself caught up in Hircine's wrath trying to control his transformations.” Shuddering once more as she fought a fresh wave of pain when he refreshed the cloth in the water. “a little girl was caught in the crossfire and he killed her by accident. I spoke with Hircine, went back intending to kill Sinding and couldn't. So I defended him and he accidentally scratched me rather than the hunters. My own fault as I got in the way"

The hand on her back paused “you helped him?”

She looked over her shoulder, finding a pair of silver eyes watching her a little too closely. Turning her head back she focused squarely on the wall before answering him “he was a idiot but I thought he shouldn't have had to die over that decision. And the girl being involved shouldn't have happened.”

Vilkas' ears picked up something in her tone but decided to stop questioning her. The conversation was already in dangerous territory and he didn't want to reveal that he and the man called Sending were one in the same creature. However the fact she didn't kill him on sight provided some hope that maybe….

He shook his head stubbornly to dispel the thought. Bundling up the last of the linen he passed it over her shoulder. “bite down on this” he ordered gruffly “I don't have proper salves to disinfect it but I have salt”. He reached into a pouch on his belt, he usually kept it to either flavour food or to appear normal if he was with the new bloods.

He emptied the blood filled bowl in the corner of the room and rinsed it in the stream before adding the salt and refilling it with fresh water. Sitting down once more he placed a gentle hand on her back and started slowly dripping down cold salt water over the wounds.

The result was instant as she shook under his hand, trying to restrain howls and sobs of pain. Vilkas had to give her credit. She took the treatment better than most men who usually screamed in pain, even if the cut was minor. Once he was complete  he placed the bowl to one side and tapped her shoulder to let her know he was done. Ashlyn opened her eyes and used the soft side of her bracers to wipe her face clean of sweat and tears. His arm reached out over her shoulder again and it held a white vial and a red one which she took obediently. “we’ll rest here for now until the potions take effect, alright?”

“Vilkas?”

He blinked at her first use of his name and watched her carefully ease herself onto the pelt. He threw another on her for warmth before responding “yeah?”

“thank you….for the meal and just now. I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier”

Silence followed for a time. Enough so that she was sure he was done talking, about to doze off she dimly heard his reply “you’re welcome, Ashlyn” before slipping into oblivion.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for the slow update schedule and a large editing fail. Copying and pasting on a tablet is proving more difficult than what it should be. I'll try to upload part 2 by next weekend, depending on how busy I am it could be later than promised (making arrangements for surgery and other things next year). Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy the future chapters!


	8. Dragonstone Part 2

Her armor was heavy and kept prodding her uncomfortably as she walked down a long hall well lit by torches. In front of her walked her superior, the light glinted off of the shiny golden armor similar to her own but more eloquent to signify his status. He reached the end of the hall and opened the door, not even bothering to hold it open for her and it roughly hit her as it swung back to close. She kept her expression carefully blank as she moved to stand a specific distance behind the warrior.

The man raised a eyebrow at the other two men in the room, both wearing the Thalmor robes that showed their status as part of the Justicar order. He stiffened his stance and saluted “Glory to the Thalmor!” upon their nod he continued “I trust you have a good reason for summoning me at this early hour?”

One of the Justicars stepped forward into the light, the other remaining In shadow, and spoke. “My associate is in need of a new guard to accompany him on his travels. Unfortunately one of his original guards was killed in a ambush by Imperial rebels. He would like a replacement from one of your soldiers”. The Justice smiled in amusement as the soldier before him looked confused."

But my soldiers have only just returned from Hammerfell, since the Treaty of Stross M'kai…-“ he stopped when the Justicar hissed in rage. The soldier was silent until the man waved his hand in irritation to continue. “-since the ….agreement, my soldiers were sent back. They are in the process of being retrained so this shame does not happen again.”

“Surely you have one to spare?” The Justicar who had been silent up until now finally spoke. His tone was thoughtful as he observed the soldier.

“None.” The man said while the Justicar looked to the woman behind him. He kept his gaze locked on hers, she stared blankly back.

“What about her?” he enquired.

This seemed to spur the solder into a fit of disgust. “That thing isn't worth your time nor energy. It can at least handle a sword but it isn't worthy of carrying the name of Altmer!” he spat. “Nothing but the spawn of filth and trash mixed together into something that looks Mer but isn't.” 

“Really now?” The Justicar sounded amused now. “The daughter of _that_ woman? Huh. Wonders will never cease to amaze me.”

The words made her twitch and she rushed forward, bending to one knee before the Justicars in a act of absolute subservience. The Justicar in the light had his blade drawn in a self defense gesture while the other watched on. She looked up at the one who had spoken from the shadows, her expression pleading. “I renounced my ties to that woman as soon as I was old enough to join the army four years ago sir! Please! I am confident in my skills to protect you and serve you no matter what end! I beg of you please take me on as your guard!.” She looked down, focusing on a spot on the floor and ignoring the savage kick her superior struck into her back.

“Get up you damned bitch and stop wasting the Justicar's time!” he roared “report to the courtyard for immediate punishment!” He raised his fist to strike her once more but stopped when the Justicar from the shadows came forward and held up his hand in a simple but effective command. 

“Leave us. Now” he commanded quietly. Gazing at the solder with enough dark threat in his face to make him step back in shock and silently retreat from the room. A long silence followed while the two Justicars observed the still knelt woman before them when the armed one sheathed his blade and stood back to watch.

The Justicar from the shadows stood before her. “Do you swear yourself to the Justicar and Thalmor cause? To obey my order no matter what it may be?”

“I swear. My life belongs to you master Justicar” she said quietly.He reached down and took her chin firmly in his hand, his fingers pressing hard enough into her skin she was sure that she'd have more bruises tomorrow as he forced her to look up. “My name is Viarmo Thromus. Remember this well girl, you belong to me now.” He squeezed tighter and abruptly let go, standing back into the light.

His face was thin with deep lines hinting that his age was far older than what she thought he would have been. No scars nor really any distinguishing features marred his face but his eyes had little to no emotion in them. She couldn’t help feeling as though she were face to face with a monster. He smiled slightly but it never touched his eyes as he inclined his gloved finger to her. “Your new life awaits…. Sol-"

 

\--------

Abruptly Ashlyn woke up, covered in a cold sweat as she tried to shake off the dream quickly. Gasping she looked about the room finding Vilkas staring at her with a odd expression. He watched her with dark suspicion as he threw her armor at her and turned his back to give her privacy. Blinking she then struggled to pull everything in place so she was sufficiently covered.

Meanwhile Vilkas was seething. It had been three full days since the elf had fallen into fevered dreams while she battled the infection caused by poor care to her wound. He had been debating on whether to haul her back the way they came back to Jorrvaskr until she’d started talking. At first it was just nonsense, coupled with a clear “I’m so sorry” every now and again. But what came out most clear was just before she woke up. “Master Justicar”. He sat stock still as he stared at the slumbering elf before the wolf came roaring forward so fast he almost shifted right then and there in front of her.

Clenching his fists he focused on breathing, trying to calm himself enough so he could just think for a moment. Words from a dreamer didn't mean that she was one of…them. His eyes flew open at her gasp and he stared, his wolf wasn't backing down without a fight and he was all too aware that his face was betraying him. To save himself he threw her cleaned armor in her direction and turned his back, sorely tempted to question her but decided to hold back, for now.

The sound of a throat being cleared made him turn around, she was standing if a bit uneasy on the legs. “If you feel dizzy or weak just sit. Waited this long, a few more moments won't hurt.” He paused for a moment, observing her as she obeyed his order to sit back down on the furs.

“How long was I asleep?”

  
Vilkas looked toward the grate he opened. “Three days, I left briefly to see if food was around and ended out having to backtrack to the entrance to grab some from the bandits. Did have a scuffle with a frost troll.” He added thoughtfully, lightly patting his blade still sheathed on his back.

She blinked then smiled slightly “since you're sitting here I take it you won the bout”

He chuckled then oddly appeared surprised that he did that for a moment “aye. That I did.” He reached into a sack that he brought with him from scavenging earlier and passed her half a loaf of bread “eat that slowly now. See how you feel afterward as to whether we can move forward.”

Cautiously she took a bite and regretted it instantly as her stomach devolved into somerthing of nausea and pain. Lowering her head she focused on breathing and waiting on it to pass before picking off bits and pieces to eat once it had settled enough. Glancing up she noticed the suspicious look on Vilkas' face had returned “okay, what?”

He looked startled before quickly recovering “just wondering how a Altmer can get sick so quickly. I'd read somewhere that your race had a resistance to most illnesses.”

The observation caused her to choke on her morsel of bread and she started coughing.  She drank the water from the skin he passed her and caught her breath. “hold on now, you read?”.

He snorted in response and nodded. “Both Vignar and myself know the history of the Companions well, only exception is that I can remember it. To answer your question properly, then yes. Sometimes.”

“huh” was all she said and they fell into a awkward silence while she finished the bread. Feeling uneasy with his observation on how easily she fell ill, she worked carefully on climbing to her feet. The bread helped give back her strength some and she wanted to be moving as quickly as possible. “I should be well enough to continue. Shall we?”

Vilkas got to his feet and helped pack away the furs. He took her pack however and shouldered it, much to her protest before leading the way through the grate. Moving slowly he lead the way and pushed open the main door to the burial chamber.

Bats quickly escaped through the gap from the large cave and they cautiously approached the platform. He could almost swear he heard a strange chanting noise coming from the large stone wall before them and he looked back at the elf. Ashlyn’s eyes appeared glazed over and unfocused as she moved toward the wall as if drawn to it. Looking closer he could see one particular carved word glowing before the light streamed into the elf. Noticing her knees buckle he then darted forward and caught her before she collapsed. “Whelp! Are you alright?!”

Ashlyn groaned as she felt a splitting headache develop quickly. “I feel like a cart ran me over then went back to finish the job.” As he chuckled she realized he was still holding her she pushed herself away from his body “I’ll be fine.” A familiar cracking noise came from the sarcophagus near them as the lid was sent flying, a growling draugr with a horned helmet growled and extracted itself from the base.

Cursing, Vilkas dropped the pack and unsheathed his sword. Keeping himself between the angry corpse and the dazed elf. “Recovered enough for any bright ideas?” he asked over his shoulder

"Fire and lots of it. Running like hell works too” she squinted at the possible draugr leader when she noticed something hanging from the remains of its armor. “shit, I think that's the stone the wizard needed.”

Vilkas grunted as the draugr attacked, he blocked it with his blade but the vibrations made it difficult to maintain a proper grip and his hands were tingling from the rough blow. Suddenly the creature leaned back as though inhaling deeply. “FUS-” was all he heard when he felt something slam into his side and make him tumble. “-RO DAH!” the phase was completed and a large blast of energy hit where he was formerly standing and sent some bones that were there flying.

He caught a glimpse of a blue potion bottle in the elf's hand before bright flame filled his vision, sufficiently distracting the draugr so he could get to his feet once more. “Thanks!” he shouted before slipping behind it and dealing damage to its back.

Ashlyn stopped after a while and changed to her sword when her magicka was too low to continue, dodging and blocking attacks while the Companion did the most damage while its focus remained squarely on her.

Eventually it fell with a hideous groan and Ashlyn bent to recover the Dragonstone from the corpse. Vilkas sheathed his blade and waited but something was niggling at him “How did you know that would happen?”

She looked up at him and then frowned in confusion as she continued looting the corpse. “I….don't really know how. I wasn't really thinking when I tackled you, for all I know I could have been saving you from flying draugr spittle…if they still have any.” Straightening she then placed everything carefully in her pack, even grabbing the stray potion bottles laying around which made Vilkas wince slightly. He felt uncomfortable taking things from the dead but kept quiet as he waited by the stairs.

Joining him a short time later they continued onward, finding another treasure chest which she looted as well. When the reached the exit out to Skyrim she was hit with a sudden icy blast of air that made her yelp loudly, much to Vilkas' amusement. The moons were full and the area was well lit with their light.

His mood then sobered slightly as his thoughts returned to earlier and her sleep talk. The urge to confront her was still there out of a desire to protect the other Companions and whelps in case the Thalmor took too much interest in their activities. But at the same time he didn't want to risk being wrong and losing a ally by accusing her of being a spy.

A gentle pat to his arm literally made him jump and he looked to find Ashlyn looking at him in concern. “Are you alright? Your face looked dark again there”

Shaking his head quietly “I’m fine…just thinking about things”

Ashlyn sat on a nearby rock and tilted her head in confusion “Such as…?”

 "You." He said, simply and honestly.

She blinked, then oddly blushed and then looked confused. As though wondering why she had that reaction to his words. “W-why?”

 "I want to know…why did you agree to join us?” he asked. It was a general question but he wanted to gauge her response. Seeing if she lied or made up a story.

She was silent for a while, gnawing at her lip as the thought nervously. The way he was staring was throwing off her usual calmness. “You probably won't like my answer then…but money”

Vilkas raised a eyebrow “money. Really?”

Nodding quietly she continued “I was originally passing through Skyrim, trying to reach Cyrodiil. I don't know…find some cave to live in the mountains. Away from the war and especially the Thalmor. I joined a group also seeking something similar when we were set upon by bandits. I survived by sheer luck and continued onward. Then I saw a dragon, got chased by the Legion and then got dragged into the whole Dragonstone mess because the wizard nor Jarl would take no for a answer.” Her tone was bitter “I had only intended to stay long enough to gather supplies and things I would need before the passes through the mountains closed because of the winter snow and spring melt”

He had watched her reactions as she vented, she neither stared him too much in the eyes nor away from them. She looked genuinely angry and bitter at her situation and he sighed. “and why are you avoiding the Thalmor?”. He watched as she stiffened, his wolf picking up her increased heart rate at his question, his suspicions were piqued once more but he waited for her response.

  
“Look….the less you know of me the better. Really. I know it sounds suspicious but please believe me when I say the absolute last thing I want is for anything to happen to….to you or the Companions” she swallowed nervously. “just wait six months and then I'll be completely gone and you won't ever hear from me again.”

Another long awkward silence followed as he processed her words. His wolf picked up that she was nervous and even scared somewhat. But whether that was toward his potential reaction or to the Thalmor then of that he was not sure. “Ashlyn.” He spoke eventually, causing her to look up. “I'm trusting you, just this once. However…if something happens and you need my help, I expect you to tell me everything. But I will make myself clear, if you threaten the Companions in any way then there will be high consequences for you to pay.”

She stared him straight in the eyes and nodded once. “Thank you, Vilkas.”

Vilkas gestured down the mountain. “Should we head back to Jorrvaskr for now?”

Ashlyn nodded and got up, relieved that he seemed to accept her words at least for now and picked her way carefully down the mountain. They walked side by side as they headed for home.

 

 


	9. Confessions

It had been slightly more than a week since the pair had returned back to Jorrvaskr, the chill of autumn was in full swing and the Companions were stuck indoors unless out on jobs or training during the rare clear days that it wasn't raining or snowing. Sighing quietly Kodlak listened to Skjor's report of the past week of activities from the various members of the Circle and new bloods alike. But he paused when he got to the tale of Vilkas and Ashlyn.  "So, she asked him to help her in Bleak Falls did she?"

Skjor nodded and set down the papers of reports on the table between them. "Yes, she had a task from the Jarl and he happened to run into her on his return. If I can continue Harbinger?". Kodlak grunted a affirmative and Skjor went over the report he'd received from Vilkas "...and so it seems she's aware of the existence of werewolves, not only that but has apparently had contact with Hircine himself. Vilkas has raised a quiet concern that she may possibly be Thalmor as well based on something he overheard while she was sleep talking in fever"

Letting out a large breath, Kodlak rubbed the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. "This could be a problem Skjor, a large one if they are in fact involved"

"I've taken that into account Harbinger...and can confirm that she's former Thalmor..." he said quietly

Kodlak slowly turned his head to the Nord and raised a eyebrow "Is she a threat?" he growled

The Nord shook his head "I don't believe so, otherwise we would have started to see other movement by now. She's kept to herself aside from the occasional interaction with the other whelps, Aela and Farkas. No messages, nothing."

Taking it all in, Kodlak frowned in thought. "It's still a risk Skjor...have you confronted her on it?"

"With Vilkas' report? No. She has already confirmed that she was a soldier for them after I questioned her on it." He absently tapped his fingers on the table while thinking "The question is do we still send her for the test or not"

Silence filled the room as the Harbinger considered it.  _This was the last thing the Companions needed right now._ Kodlak thought  _There's too much potential for this to go horribly wrong and the honor and everything that the Companions are could be shattered in seconds..._ "Skjor...I'll need to speak to her on this before I can make the decision. Find her and send her to me, now please."

"At once Harbinger" came Skjor's response and he quickly left the room. A short time later and the door opened once more revealing the Altmer, looking somewhat confused until she noticed the serious expression on Kodlak's face and her own expression quickly became blank. "Sit whelp" he ordered, gesturing to the chair Skjor had vacated.

When Ashlyn had sat down, Kodlak fully turned to her "Whelp, I need to speak with you bluntly so I'll just get to the point. Skjor has reported to me that you are former Thalmor, is this true?"

After a while she then nodded her response "yes Harbinger"

Kodlak ran his hand down his face in exasperation and fought to keep his temper in check "Whelp...why didn't you tell at least me about it?"

Her temper suddenly flared and she glared in response to him, causing the Harbinger to blink in surprise "And tell me how I'm supposed to come out with that and instantly be believed or at the very least be treated like another person?" she spat "My people... damn it, even _I_ have done horrible things in their stupid sodding name. I got sick of it, finally used my head and escaped despite being beaten to a bloody pulp for the sheer audacity of refusing my master's orders."

The old Nord had his mouth gaping in silence at her words as she continued on. "All I wanted was simply to get enough gold so I could leave Skyrim and get the fuck out of the Thalmor's reach forever. But I wanted to do it the right way and earn it rather than just steal stuff from people and sell it. I kept silent about everything because I...want people to see me as just me and not what I am for once..." her voice drifted off as she roughly scrubbed at her eyes which were watering in angry tears.

Kodlak was silent. Stuck somewhere between surprised and shocked. Quickly he shook his head to get his thoughts in order and consider what she said. After a while he got up and filled a goblet with water before passing it to her "Ashlyn look at me please." Once her gaze met his he continued "I asked you that question because...for a lot of reasons we Companions remain out of any and all political arguments. We also are fiercely protective of our own...I choose to believe you but for missions involving us at least for now I'll send Farkas or Aela with you. As a matter of caution if you can understand?"

Looking down at the goblet she took a gulp of the water "If that's what you have to do then that's fine. I still intend to leave once the passes south open up again."

Nodding Kodlak then returned to the chair "Aside from that...I've decided that we'll continue with your training...speaking of which I have a test for you."

Ashlyn choked and looked to him "wait...what?"

"Its custom that for anyone intending to join the Companions to do a act of service for them. In this case a scholar came to us while you were gone and claimed that a fragment of the axe Wuuthrad was contained within a burial cairn not that far away from here. Simply enough I want you to go in and get it"

"Who will be joining me then?"

"Farkas will go with you this time. That acceptable?"

Quietly nodding Ashlyn finished off the water and got up "Harbinger? ...I....thank you... for not throwing me out or anything"

Waving a hand in a dismissive gesture "It's fine." Getting up he opened his door once more and called for Farkas. A few minutes later a half asleep Companion with a bed head appeared from around the corner "s'late Kodlak" Farkas complained. Ashlyn covered her mouth to hide her amusement as Kodlak grumbled in annoyance.

"Wake up that brain of yours and get ready. The whelp's being tested and I want you to be the one to watch her back" he growled

Farkas yawned and nodded, some clanking came from the open door as he prepared his gear. Kodlak turned back to Ashlyn who was still smiling slightly in amusement "go meet him by the city gates. You know what to do whelp"

"Yes Harbinger" she agreed and went to go grab her pack and gear. She pulled the Dragonstone from her pack and quickly headed up to Dragonsreach, finding the hall completely empty she quietly snuck into Farengar's quarters and left the artifact on his desk before running off again into the darkness before the guards could catch her and throw her out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay between the last chapter and this one. The Christmas period got a little too busy with work plus life, and so writing had to go on the back burner for a while (also blame a slight Fallout 4 addiction as of late). Anyway, thank you all for the kudos. Gives me a smile to see them!


	10. Dragon

Vilkas shielded his eyes against the sun, keeping a careful watch to the southern skies. He hadn't been that long awake until he'd heard shouts and screams of the people signalling a dragon attack at the watchtower nearby. Farkas and the whelp were still out there, hunting for that fragment of Wuuthrad that was in a cairn nearby. The fact that it had taken them this long to return was making him nervous and he unsheathed his sword, holding it firmly at the ready for when the dragon returned. Irileth stood nearby, also keeping a steady watch on the skies while issuing orders to the guards who followed her from the city.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught a flash of blond hair and looked to find the whelp running in their direction, his brother close in tow behind her. "Careful" he warned "A dragon attacked the tower a short time ago, took two guards with it before it flew south."

Ashlyn frowned and readied her sword with Farkas following her lead. "Did it go for the city?" she asked.

"Thankfully no" Irileth responded "It's kept outside of the walls for now but we need to take care of it before it changes it's mind"

The Altmer made a hissing noise for silence and listened closely for a familiar roar, closing her eyes so she could better focus without being distracted by anything around her. There was several moments of silence before she heard a faint noise sounding from the mountains. A few moments more and the sound repeated itself once more. "It comes!" she shouted, surprising the two Companions with the authority in her voice. "Ready yourselves!"

Everyone, man and mer alike gripped their weapons or prepared spells as a gold shape appeared from behind the mountains before them and was headed straight in their direction. It was fast, almost too fast as it swooped in and sent the fields alight with the fire in it's breath before it circled around. The warriors scattered to avoid the flames while the remaining archers from the tower shot arrows to attract it's attention, they succeeded and quickly ran inside as the dragon decided to land. Vilkas and Farkas yelled their battle cries and charged with Ashlyn close behind.

There was a blast of lightning as Irileth shot spells to back up the also charging Whiterun guard. She was scared, terrified even as she followed behind them all but her feet kept moving forward into the face of death. Running around it's side she went for the wings, trying to hack and slash them to ribbons so the creature could not escape them again. The hide of the creature was tough and it was difficult to keep a good grip on her sword as she attacked, every now and again the wings flapped out and sent everyone on the sides flying back from the force.

On one occasion Ashlyn hit the ground with force thanks to a wing, she shook her head to get rid of the stars obscuring her vision and promptly found a large dirty hand in her face. Grabbing it on impulse she found herself face to face with Vilkas as he hauled her to her feet once more. "Be more careful whelp!" he shouted.

Her response was a particularly hard tug backward as the dragon let loose a blast of flame right at his feet. "Says the man who nearly ended up cooked!" she yelled back before picking up her sword once more.

Vilkas couldn't help but grin slightly as he leapt back into the fray while Ashlyn circled around it. It was beginning to tire quickly from it's numerous wounds that were open and bleeding straight onto the ground, taking advantage of the situation she waited until it's head was close enough before grabbing it and swinging herself upward. Perching herself precariously on it's head as she stabbed down repeatedly with all the force she could muster. It screamed loudly, making her grit her teeth against the ringing in her ears as she kept stabbing to silence it forever.

"Dovahkiin?! No!" It hissed as it fell down dead, it's body instantly beginning to burn and decay to bones. Ashlyn frowned as a strange energy seemed to engulf her and the headache from a wall at the cairn swiftly pounded at her temples. A word stuck out firmly in her mind, wondering what it was she shouted it. "FUS!"

The result cause a large wave of energy erupting from her lips and it hit several of the Whiterun guard, sending them bowling backwards while yelling in shock. If the situation wasn't so serious Farkas might've laughed at the little whelp having such a large voice. Vilkas just seemed to be staring while Ashlyn looked confused. "What?" she asked.

"D-Dovahkiin!" one of the guards said in awe after picking himself up. "There hasn't been one since...well since Tiber Septim himself was alive"

She frowned slightly while cleaning off her sword. "What's a Dovahkiin?"

"A person in Nord legend" Vilkas supplied, seeming to recover somewhat from the shock. "The person is able to kill dragons for good and steal the dragon's power from them."

Irileth snorted "What I see is a dead dragon. That should be all that matters, not some myth or legend."

"You just saw the power for yourself!" one of the guard shouted.

"Enough!" Ashlyn yelled "just...enough." she added, much quieter this time.

The Dunmer folded her arms. "You should see Jarl Balgruuf at once. Maybe he can make some sense of this nonsense."

Somewhat pale, Ashlyn moved to follow the house carl's instruction. Only stopping at the sound of voices crying "Dovahkiin" from the Throat of the World behind her. Everyone was silent as they watched the mountain with a certain level of fear and awe while Ashlyn turned her back and walked back to the city in silence. Things were definitely becoming more and more complicated.


End file.
